Tag Archives: ABC 33/40

Station puts anchorman on temporary leave, hides bio on website

Roy Hobbs, ABC 33/40’s weekend anchorman, is on temporary leave. The reason? A run-in with the law. Twice.

His first encounter, date unknown, was when a Birmingham police officer found him in Woodlawn with a prostitute, suspended driver’s license and no proof of insurance. Hobbs was let off with a warning.

The second encounter, Friday night, ended with an arrest. Police say they found Hobbs with crack and a crack pipe. He was charged with unlawful possession of a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia. The arrest report also indicates he was under the influence of drugs at the time.

Roy Hobbs brings a wealth of experience to the weekend anchor desk at ABC 33/40. He is a veteran who has covered stories ranging from the Challenger disaster to the O.J. Simpson trial.

While Roy comes to Birmingham after a year as the morning anchor at the NBC affiliate in Kansas City, he has spent much of his career in the South and was eager to move to Birmingham. He previously anchored the No. 1 morning newscast during his three years in Nashville and he spent six years as the 5:00 anchor at the Fox affiliate in Atlanta. During that tenure, his newscast was one of the highest rated in the country.

Roy has received five Emmy Awards and numerous nominations. He is a longtime member of the National Association of Black Journalists and helped found the Houston chapter. He has also served as Vice President of the Nashville chapter and President of the Atlanta chapter.

In 2001 he joined a group of Black Journalists on a mission to Kenya to discuss freedom of the press at the invitation of East African Black Journalists and the Kenyan government.

Roy loves to be involved in the community by speaking to students at area schools as well as churches and other community groups. He has a large collection of comic books and records, enjoys movies and, of course, covering the news of the day.

Osborne will show how the American Red Cross has to change with the times, trends and population. Osborne will review what they are doing locally, nationally and internationally to solicit support and update media outlets including the role of “new media.”

Osborne was formerly an award-winning reporter and videographer at ABC 33/40 and one of the founding members of the news team. He has worked 19 years in radio and television in Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois and Alabama. Osborne was the first black on-air personality at WCRK-AM in his hometown of Morristown, Tenn.

In 2007, Osborne launched a new career with the American Red Cross as the organization’s Public Affairs Officer for the Birmingham Area Chapter. Recently he was promoted to the senior management position of Chief Branding Officer. In that role, he is responsible for, among many other things, internal/external communications, community outreach, media relations, website/social media content and serves as the agency’s representative with Project SHARE which helps elderly and disabled citizens with utility bills.

Red Cross officer lost part of leg to motorcycle accident

Vodpod videos no longer available.

Video: Chris Osborne’s aha moment
for Mutual of Omaha commercial

Chris Osborne lost part of his left leg following a 2004 motorcycle accident. Instead of slowing down, he went to physical therapy and learned to use a prosthetic leg. Osborne also visited other amputees in the hospital to help them in their recovery.

His story is featured in a new series of commercials for Mutual of Omaha to air in the spring. The insurance company visited 25 cities, including Birmingham, to record inspirational stories for its aha moments campaign. Osborne’s commercial made it to the Top 10.

Osborne is chief branding officer for the Birmingham chapter of the American Red Cross. Before, he worked as a reporter for ABC 33/40.

The company, based in Atlanta and Los Angeles, owns 14 stations nationwide.

“New Vision now has one of the strongest balance sheets in our sector,” Jason Elkin, CEO and founder of New Vision, said in a statement. “Being debt-free will enable us to invest in our people, our product and complementary acquisitions to drive New Vision forward, while our competitors continue to focus on daily liquidity and covenant compliance.”

New Vision made no job or benefit cuts linked to the reorganization, the company said.

The cuts affected all areas of the station – including producers, engineers, photographers and sales representatives – but Lee and Peters were the only on-air personnel let go. The station employed 120 people before the layoffs.

“It’s a very difficult time,” ABC 33/40’s vice president and general manager, Mike Murphy, said Friday. “We regret that it had to take place.”

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